InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA - Though medium – climate soil has enough Silica (Si), repeated planting would significantly reduce Si availability for the plantation over the years namely the plants within highly Si absorption.

Silica (Si) is one element that plays central roles to support man’s lives particularly in the context of agriculture. Its presence in the world massively contributes to plantation growth within highly accumulation capability. It is the same with macro hara but it is important to understand the various contents in the soil. It depends on kinds of soil and certain environmental factors.

In clay, Si contents could be about 200 to 350 gram (g) Si kg-1 of soil; in sandy soil, it could be about 450 to 480 g Si kg-1 of soil. Tropical climate with weathered soil mostly has lower Si contents because of desilication. Though medium – climate soil mostly has enough Si contents, the repeated planting would reduce Si contents for the plantation namely for the plantations within highly Si absorption.

In general, many considered that Si plays no significant roles as plantation substance though it delivered big impacts in agriculture. Active Si substance in the soil involves dissolved mono-silicate, poly-late acid, and organosilicon compound. Dissolved mono-silicate acid would be absorbed by the plantation and micro-organism with specific concentration at about 0,1 to 0,6 mM.

Si would play its roles not only to support the plants to grow but also would control the chemical and biological characteristic of the soil. Si would influence the parameter, such as, phosphor (P), aluminum (Al), ferrum (Fe), mangan (Mn), heavy metal mobility, microbe activity, organic material stability, and the making of poly-late acid and secondary mineral in the soil.

The silicon assimilation process by the plants would involve absorption through the roots in the form of silicate acid. After it gets into the plants, Si would move to the active spots of growth, establish complexity with organic compound in the cell wall to escalate the power of the cell itself. This is a very significant role to deliver security for biotic and abiotic stress, and escalate the plant productivity.

By understanding the significant roles of Si in agriculture, there should be actions to maintain the soil balance and escalate agricultural efficiency sustainably. The awareness of Si as the key element in soil ecosystem would positively contribute to get productive and sustainable agricultural practices.

In fact, Si is the element not only needed to grow the plants but also it stands out as the only element that does not damage the plants if being accumulated too much. Si accumulation in plants particularly in paddy, is proven to have big contribution to have healthy growth and stable production, make Si as ‘significant element in agronomy’.

By: Dadang Gusyana/ Member American Society of Agronomy (ASA)  

For more, please read Majalah InfoSAWIT, January 2024